A young boy with cleft lip identified on the reverse as J. A. King stands in full length before the camera in this albumen carte de visite produced by O. H. Willard at 1628 Market Street. The image dates to the 1860s based on the plain reverse format and studio conventions. Willard operated at this Philadelphia address during that decade, placing the portrait firmly within the city's active commercial photography trade of the period.

The subject wears a dark three-piece suit with a frock coat, buttoned waistcoat, and a bow tie at the collar, consistent with formal dress for a boy of his age. He holds a round-crowned hat at his side with his right hand while resting his left hand atop a painted studio column with a decorative paneled base. A checkered tile floor and draped fabric prop complete the setting, and the subject's cleft lip is clearly visible in his direct, composed expression toward the camera.

The boy's posture is upright and self-possessed, his dark short hair parted and combed, and his polished leather shoes visible at the base of the frame. The studio column and drapery arrangement were among the most common scenic props employed by Philadelphia photographers during the 1860s.

The reverse bears a penciled inscription reading "J. A. King" above the printed blue imprint of O. H. Willard, Cartes de Visite, 1628 Market Street.